ALECTO

It cannot be denied Sir, but you are As much indebted to the gods for favours, As any mortal Prince, and in some things Enjoy prerogatives above them all, As in the wealth and beauty of your land: Your Subject's love, your peace with foreign Kings That are your neighbours. Lastly, in this point, Which makes you more admired then all the rest, In having such a daughter, who for virtue And beauty both cannot be paralleled By any other Princess, and I think Hath not her equal in the world beside. This likes me not, I'll thwart it what I can, For to advance my love and proper Fortune's.— But royal Sir, have you proposed yet A match unto the Princess? That's good, she likes a substance, not a shadow:— This makes for me. What does she then object An't please your royal Majesty? Sir, I was applauding Your happy state and fortune, and what cause You had to thank the gods for benefits You did enjoy above all other Princes, Yet to the end you might not think your self In earthly pleasures absolutely happy, And so grow proud, there lies a bar between you And the full consummation of your bliss. Could you not understand upon what grounds They built their discontent and rash proceeding? D'ye know Sir what's the cause you speed so ill? Would I could not. I have found out Amandus hath her heart, By what smooth guile, or Syren oratory He won her to himself; I am not able To give you satisfaction, or to gum sse it: This ancient enemy of yours and mine, (For who stands ill affected unto you, Shall never affected be by me your friend) Hath now the second time deceived your match. Wrong of all wrongs! disgrace ef all disgrace! So to be cheated of two princely brides: Sir, you must be revenged, deeply revenged, Or else your Princely name will be reproached With foulest infamy that can be spoke. Blind men and boys will sing you in the streets In Ballads, and at length it'll grow a proverb, So patient as the Prince of Persia, If you sustain those injuries which lie So heavy on your Princely reputation. Stay Sir, be patient, and do things discreetly, I'll join with you, and have a hand as deep Or deeper as your self in your revenge, For the great love I bear you: by the gods I am as much touched with your wrongs, and am As zealous in your cause, as you your self. And now to work to bring our ends to pass, I have a dainty powder here that was Ordained for such a pu pose, which will work Effect unto ou wish I it but fallen Into his cup, or light upon his hai e, It'll soon di p tch him po der hence, Such virtue is there in: we sh rupt His B rber by rich or by some other Unthought of way yet, the same To be employed and upon the Patient This physic is ordained for you this, Or shall we yet devise some ? He shall fallen then According to your will and in this manner If you approve it Sir, what if you send A challenge to him for to meet you single, A foot or horseback, in the field to answer These shameful wrongs he did you? I will be Ready to rescue you when I perceive You needs my help with certain friends of mine, Who will lie close the while, and undiscovered, Until we see you have the worst, then forth We'll break, and soon dispatch that traitor Princ . The floods Shall fail to pay their tribute to the sea, Before I break with noble Perseus. This now begins to work as I would wish; The shallow witted Persian thinks my aims Do bear a wing with his, and my ambition Is bounded by his love: I fished to take His good opinion with mine angle wit, Not to advance his ends, but work mine own. Alas poor Prince, he thinks I am his friend, And on that platform grounds his resolution: He is deceived, I'm friend unto my self, And enemy to him as to Amand . I hate them both, as being both y rivals: Rivals unto my love, and to my kingdom: Neither must live, neither survive the other. I'll let them sighed till one of them be killed, The Persian shall in vain expect relief, Although distressed: the conqueror shall die By me and my associates: these remove worser The way unto my Crown, lies smooth and easy; The Princess sure will break her heart for grief. The King I'll poison, then Alecto reign King of Arabia, crowned by thy brain. How's this the noble Prince of Persia slain, And his bold murderer triumphing over His slaughtered body? come, my noble friend Shall not die unrevenged. No, if thou livest, my Fortune's then must die: I aim, man, for the kingdom, and to gain The love of fair Phaenicia, thou art a bar That hinders both, there over must be removed: This plot I did contrive, not with intent To work thy end alone, but Perseus too; Now it is finished, make and easy passage For life to issue forth me deer associates, There's one gap more, a floodgate large enough. At first he stormed and cursed his angry stars, Reviled the fates, and railed against the gods, Refum ed to eat or drink, banished all sleep From entering in his eyes, locked up himself Within his private study all alone, Command nding none upon his high displeasure Should offer to disturb his meditation: His high swollen heart, was big with angry passion Until another far more powerful wrought A contrary effect, and that was love, For gazing on the Princess peerless beauty With surfeiting delight, a sudden shaft Sent from the curious circlet of her eye Stroke him unto the heart, and there withal Cupid. The winged archer, sprung up from his stand And took him prisoner, now languishes, But pleasingly does take this second chance, Submits with patience to the will and pleasure Of fair Phaenicia Lady conqueress, And glories to be manacled by her Whose prison he esteems, and does prefer Before the Palace of the greatest Kings. I should think so, But for one bar that lies in the way Were that taken off all scruple were removed. She loves Amandus Sir, and he loves her, I over herd their cour ship in the garden, Their amorous discourse, and protestations Of love and service, such affection shown In Actium, gesture, speech, as greater was not Expressed between fair Hero and Leander: Their eyes stood fixed upon each others face, Their tongues were sometime mute and could not utter the abundance of their hearts, then would their sighs Supply that silence, till they had recovered The instrument of speech to make it move, I never saw more passion used in love. Why how now noble Prince, within a dump? How come you so dejected in your thoughts I do beseech you? hath your love sped ill Unto the fair Phaenicia, or some other Ill accident befall you, that you are So melancholy Sir? There's difficulty in't I mean the thieves and our laws of your Country, Who make your land unfree, and hold by force The third partly of Arabia, Who rob your self and Subject's of their goods, Usurping privil dges, and exacting Tributes and dues of every passenger, Stranger or other wise that trave that way. You cannot though you sought the spacious world From one end to the other—I must turn My thoughts unto as many several shapes. As Proteus used— Have you proposed this thing unto the Princess? That's nothing, she'l be soon instructed by Her husband in that duty.